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Posted on: January 12, 2018

Blessing of the Fleet Beneficiary and Craft Show Applications Available Online

MOUNT PLEASANT, SC (January 12, 2018) - The annual Town of Mount Pleasant Blessing of the Fleet & Seafood Festival beneficiary and craft show applications are now available at ExperienceMountPleasant.com.

Crafters and artists who conceive their own designs and execute original finished products are invited to apply to participate in the Arts & Crafts Show. Applicants are juried simultaneously with the best entries in each category selected on a limited basis to offer a diverse and balanced show. The application deadline is February 28.

Nonprofits that serve the Mount Pleasant community and wish to participate in the festival are encouraged to apply before the application deadline on January 24. The beneficiary will be announced on February 14.

Since its inception 30 years ago as a way for local shrimpers and fishermen to thank their supporters and give back to the community that supports them, the Town of Mount Pleasant has chosen local 501(c)(3) nonprofit beneficiaries to receive the net proceeds from the event.

Proceeds from the festival, which is free for the public to attend, are largely dependent upon event-day memorabilia sales and sponsorship revenue. The selected beneficiary is required to recruit and organize a minimum of 50 volunteers who are essential to the festival’s success.

“We simply could not offer this wonderful cultural event to our community without our nonprofit partners,” said Special Events Manager Nicole Harvey. “The volunteers who work so hard to help bring this celebration of our town’s heritage to life are truly the event’s backbone.”

The Blessing of the Fleet & Seafood Festival aims to promote local fishermen and the town's seafood heritage, educate the public on the importance of supporting local fishermen and buying wild-caught and local seafood, and to give back to the community by donating proceeds to a nonprofit that supports its residents.

The last Sunday of every April, local ministers bless the local fleet for a safe and bountiful season ahead. Since 2013, each Shem Creek shrimping or fishing boat owner who registers and participates in the blessing boat parade has received $500.